The Grand Ducal House Order of the Wendish Crown is the most senior order of the
House of Mecklenburg. The order was jointly instituted on 12 May 1864 by Grand Duke
Friedrich Wilhelm of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
That same day Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II was married to Princess Anne of Hesse
and by Rhine, his second wife, wearing for the first time the chain and badge of
the House Order of the Wendish Crown. As it was jointly instituted the position of
head of order was held jointly by the reigning grand duke’s of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
and Mecklenburg-Schwerin. The order was instituted to show honour and respect for
the special and extraordinary merit of persons who show true honesty in attitude
and life.

As the Wendish Crown is a house order and as such attached to the grand ducal house
rather than the state, successive heads of the House’s of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and
Mecklenburg-Schwerin retained their position as head of the order with the right
to award it. However since the end of the monarchy this right has rarely been exercised
and order has effectively lain dormant. With the extinction of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
in 2001 the head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz is the sole head of the order.

Members of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz who currently hold the highest class
of the order are Duke Borwin and his sons Hereditary Prince Alexander and Duke Michael.
From the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Duchess Donata also holds the Grand Cross
with the Crown in Ore, with the insignia in Diamonds.

Females are eligible to receive the first two classes of the order; males are eligible
to receive any class. Under the original statue there were limits on the number of
awards that could be given and who was eligible to receive certain classes.

Classes

The House Order of the Wendish Crown comes in four classes:

1a) Grand Cross with the Crown in Ore - could be awarded to male and female members
of the grand ducal house, and members of other royal houses.

1b) Grand Cross with the Crown in Gold - could be awarded to persons who held the
rank of “Excellency”, although an exception was once made to this rule.

2) Grand Commander - could be awarded to persons who held the rank of at least General
Major.

3) Commander

4) Knight

In addition to the above classes there was also:

The Cross of Merit which was available in a) gold and b) silver, and which could
be given as a special honorary decoration.

The insignia of the order

Badge

The badge of the order is a white eight pointed Maltese cross with each of the four
angles possessing a golden griffin. The Grand Cross badge came with gold balls on
the points of the four angles. The roundel of the badge has a blue centre upon which
lays a gold Wendish Crown and a red outer layer which has the orders motto inscribed
upon it. Depending upon the awarding sovereign the motto will differ. For the Mecklenburg-Strelitz
award the motto is Avito Viret Honore while for Mecklenburg-Schwerin it’s Per aspera
ad astra. On the back of the badge is the monogram of the founder with “FW” for Mecklenburg-Strelitz
and “FF” for Mecklenburg-Schwerin written in gold on a blue enameled roundel. Surmounted
on the badge is a gold enclosed crown. The Grand Cross badge is surmounted with the
founders monogram as well as the crown. The Cross of Merit badge differs from the
other classes’ badges in that it is completely gold or silver including the roundel
and monogram on the back.

Holders of the class Grand Cross wear the badge hanging at the bottom of a 4 inch
wide blue sash which passes from the right shoulder to the left hip. The bottom of
the blue sash where the badge is located has inner yellow and outer red side stripes.
Those with the Crown in Ore wear the badge on the chain if they have been awarded
it. Holders of the class Grand Commander and Commander wear the badge on a 3 inch
wide ribbon around the neck. Knights wear the badge on the left chest on a ribbon
that is slightly narrower than that of the Grand Commander and Commander’s.

Female royals who receive the class Grand Cross with the Crown in Ore have the crown
and motto on their badge made of diamonds. They wear their badge on a bow on their
left shoulder, unless they have received the chain. Women can also receive the classes
Grand Cross with the Crown in Gold and Grand Commander in diamonds. Only women with
the Grand Cross with the Crown in Gold receive the bow. Although eligible in Mecklenburg-Strelitz
no female member of the house was given the order; the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
did however award female members of his own house the order.

Ribbon

The ribbon for the order is blue with inner yellow and outer red side stripes which
are the three national colours of Mecklenburg. Holders of the cross of merit receive
a red ribbon with blue inner and yellow outer stripes.

Star

In addition to the badge those awarded the Grand Cross and Grand Commander also receive
a star that is worn on the left chest. The holder of the class Grand Cross has an
eight pointed silver star while the Grand Commander’s have a four pointed silver
star. Both have a central roundel like the one found on the badge.

Chain

A chain could be awarded to those who hold the class Grand Cross with the Crown in
Ore. It consists of four Wendish Crown’s, four monograms of the respective founder’s
initials and a total of eight griffins, one either side of the Wendish Crown’s which
the griffins are holding. Those who were awarded the chain would wear their badge
at the front of the chain.

In Mecklenburg-Strelitz it was the practice for only the Grand Duke to have the chain
of the order. In Mecklenburg-Schwerin the chain was given out to all males of the
grand ducal house.